MovieChat Forums > Ghosts (1997) Discussion > Surprised/Awed Reaction Shots

Surprised/Awed Reaction Shots

posted 13 years ago by Dancon7
1 reply | jump to latest

One of the most overused shots during the 80's and 90's-especially in family films-was the shot of a kid with a surprised look on his/her face. They are looking at something "amazing" and the filmmakers feel that by showing their awe, you as a viewer will also feel that feeling as well. Steven Spielberg was always the worst culprit of this cheap tactic...until Michael Jackson's Ghosts. Around ten minutes of running time of this film are surprised kid reaction shots. They should show this in film class as an example of what not to do.

[–] orchidan 12 years ago

Spielberg was involved in the creation of "Ghosts" - in some places the credits read "directed by Stan Winston, with tips from Steven Spielberg", and there are photos of Spielberg on the set. Maybe his contribution consisted precisely of those reaction shots..?

I agree with you, the use of reaction shots is rather annoying here. But it's after all a fancy music clip: The central part is the maestro's show, and the town people don't get to do a lot apart from watch and react.